Community Health Worker Updates!

Community Health Worker Updates!

February 12, 2018

Community Health Worker Updates!

The Consumer Health Coalition is very excited to share the recent approval of two new grants that will partner our Community Health Workers with the Allegheny and PA Health Departments to bring health initiatives to select areas of Allegheny County. The PA Department of Health project will primarily focus on the Clairton area of Allegheny County and will provide outreach and support for tobacco cessation. The Allegheny County Health Department project will work to increase awareness of the dangers of lead exposure from environmental and household sources within the Bhutanese Refugee Communities of the South Hills of Allegheny County.

Our partnership with the PA Department of Health will allow us to bring tobacco cessation resources to the Clairton community. These resources include one-on-one cessation counseling, referral to PA’s Free Quitline, and a 6 week community class. Through referral to the PA’s Free Quitline, community members can decide to receive free nicotine replacement therapy. Clairton experiences high amounts of tobacco use and low amounts of resources to address this issue. This project will help to elevate this burden and open the door to potential future projects addressing tobacco cessation in Clairton.

Our second new partnership is with the Allegheny County Health Department to provide outreach for lead educations to the Bhutanese communities of the South Hills. These educations will help elevate the language and culture barrier around lead exposure in household settings for individuals new to the area, many in the process of learning English, and many of which previously did not have a concept of what lead is or that they needed to be mindful of exposure from environmental or household sources. In addition to educating the Bhutanese refugee community about lead exposure the community health workers will connect families to free or low cost programs to reduce or eliminate lead’s impact in their families’ lives.

Each of these projects will allow the Consumer Health Coalition’s Community Health Workers to bring needed services to each community that are tailored to their unique needs. We are excited about these partnerships and their positive impact in each community. To learn more about these projects please contact Katie Holler at 412-456-1877 x207.